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This Week’s Top Team: The search for 140…. If this were a PPR format – that would be easy breezy! As it turned out, even with Adrian Peterson’s fat 0, my guys ran in and put up 137… That’s legit.QB: Tony Romo vs. Detroit: “300+ and 3 TDs… Anyone?” Well, it took him until his final throw to surpass 300, and he only walked away with 2 touchdown passes. He was no Tom Brady (39 fantasy points) but he was a great option racking up 25.

RB: Adrian Peterson vs. San Francisco: 14 rushes for 3 yards, well at least the 49ers made sure AP wasn’t going to beat them, while the did get destroyed all the way around. 0 pts for Peterson. Crazy.

RB: LaDainian Tomlinson vs. Tennessee: He got a game winning rushing score in overtime, and also put up more than 170 yards of total offense and another score via the pass. He’s LT. He’s a 33 point champion in Week 14.

WR: Randy Moss vs. Pittsburgh: 135 yards, 2 touchdowns, one of them a 63 yarder for an extra two points…. 27 points for the big man. Yhatzee!

WR: Reggie Wayne vs. Baltimore: IN a game that was Anthony Gonzalez’s breakout contest, Reggie only managed two catches for 42 yards, but one of them was a nice score over the defense, and even though it was a blowout and he didn’t play in the 2nd half, he had a nice 10 point day.

TE: Antonio Gates vs. Tennessee: 57 yards and a game tying touchdown catch with just seconds to go. That’s the kind of day I was expecting out of Antonio, and he did it all with a bum wheel – 11 points from my TE.

K: Nick Folk vs. Detroit: My screw their team plan almost worked, but Romo’s magic ended my run and bombing kickers, even though Folk still just had 4 points. Like I said, never pick the kicker I do. Brutal.

D: Jaguars vs. Carolina: I picked this game right with the spread, and I pounded it out on the fantasy scoreboard as well. The Jags scored 27, and I walked away with a nice total, despite AP sabotaging my attempts to take over the world.

LUCKY’S Week 14 SLEEPERS

Marc Bulger: I like Bulger against the Bengals almost as much as I like Palmer against the Rams – and Bulger is a much bigger sleeper at this point.

Earnest Graham: I’ll ride this kid’s bandwagon once again -hell, I’ll drive the damn thing. Graham has been all kinds of great, and though he may not be much of a sleeper – there’s still leagues in which he’s a free agent – that’s just plain stupid.

Ryan Grant: This one is pretty easy – he’s a beast and he’s rolling up against the Raiders – aka – have your best game of the season, a coke, and a smile.

Maurice Jones Drew: I’m feeling a day full of magic from this mighty little fellow – and I say little lightly – lets be honest, 5’8″ and 215 pounds isn’t small by any means. That’s a huge short guy.

Sydney Rice: Much will be focused on the Vikings run game against the 49ers, and while they still won’t be able to stop it, Rice will get his chance to get deep on a few play action options.

Roddy White: He shouldn’t be a sleeper, but I just picked him up last week – and that’s absurd. Against the Saints, he’s got to be a top 20 option this week.

Vernon Davis: The Niners won’t be able to run, and they’ll have to pass to keep in this game – Davis is their best option. I’m not crazy about this pick, but he’s an option.

Mercedes Lewis: The only pass catching tight end option in Jacksonville, and he has an accurate and safe passer throwing the ball. That’s a good combination for a tight end that is probably on your waiver wire. Add that to his size and hands – you have to like this play.

Buccaneers: The Texans can put up points, but the Bucs have been good at shutting squads down all year long. I like Tampa’s chances against a Sage Rosenfell and Ron Dayne led offense. (I guess Andrew Johnson is the real leader, but he’s a WR, they don’t count)

LUCKY’S Week 14 Splinter-Butts (bench him, son)

Eli Manning: Because he’s brutal.

Joseph Addai: The Ravens should stop him just like they’ve stopped every other running back. I sure like Addai though, and I know I can’t sit him – it’s just that I don’t think he’ll be good this week.

Justin Fargas: This young back has been dynamite since getting the starting gig, but I don’t see the Packers letting him run around much on Sunday.

Javon Walker: I like the Chiefs’ defense, and Walker has been slow to return from injuries. He’s still a week or two off, and the Broncos are still trying to figure their lives out.

This Week’s Top Team: The search for 140…. If this were a PPR format – that would be easy breezy!

QB: Tony Romo vs. Detroit: Romo against the Lions secondary – boy, I love that lineup so much I’m scared to use it. Oh well, I had a piece of pie, and I’m not scared anymore – this seems too good to be true. 300+ and 3 TDs… Anyone?

RB: Adrian Peterson vs. San Francisco: A great line and a relatively small defensive run stopping unit that hasn’t succeeded in anything except stopping their own pathetic offense in practice during scrimmages all year long. (Exhale) Peterson is a beast – and even with 15-20 carries, you’d think he’ll put up 130+ and a TD or two.

RB: LaDainian Tomlinson vs. Tennessee: I don’t care who he’s playing, I’d probably take him against the armies of hell and Mordor combined into one wretched pack of homely beasts. I think the Titans will feel a little ego bruising after LT is done with them.

WR: Randy Moss vs. Pittsburgh: I’ll ride Randy’s low point, and expect a big week from the super-talented wide receiver this week in Pittsburgh. It doesn’t hurt that I think the Pats will put it on the Steel Show.

WR: Reggie Wayne vs. Baltimore: The Ravens were solid in shutting down Randy Moss last week, but Reggie is all Peyton has, and I think the Ravens will bow out early against the Colts – they have to be questioning themselves, their coaches, and of course life in general after last week’s last second loss.

TE: Antonio Gates vs. Tennessee: Gates had 1 catch for -1 yard last week – not really the stats you’d like to have from the solid pass catching tight end. This week, the Titans will do their damnedest to stop LT, and Gates should find a few open holes to take advantage of less defensive coverage.

K: Nick Folk vs. Detroit: I think Folk could have a big week – but I’m always wrong. So, just in case, I’m hoping my back kicker luck could wear on the Cowboys and maybe give the Lions a much needed upset – mainly so TO will start another week for my fantasy playoffs. So what? I have an ulterior motive here – big whoop.

D: Jaguars vs. Carolina: Carolina stinks – they should get hammered by the Jags – a shutout possibly? I sure hope so.

LUCKY’S Week 14 SLEEPERS

Marc Bulger: I like Bulger against the Bengals almost as much as I like Palmer against the Rams – and Bulger is a much bigger sleeper at this point.

Earnest Graham: I’ll ride this kid’s bandwagon once again -hell, I’ll drive the damn thing. Graham has been all kinds of great, and though he may not be much of a sleeper – there’s still leagues in which he’s a free agent – that’s just plain stupid.

Ryan Grant: This one is pretty easy – he’s a beast and he’s rolling up against the Raiders – aka – have your best game of the season, a coke, and a smile.

Maurice Jones Drew: I’m feeling a day full of magic from this mighty little fellow – and I say little lightly – lets be honest, 5’8″ and 215 pounds isn’t small by any means. That’s a huge short guy.

Sydney Rice: Much will be focused on the Vikings run game against the 49ers, and while they still won’t be able to stop it, Rice will get his chance to get deep on a few play action options.

Roddy White: He shouldn’t be a sleeper, but I just picked him up last week – and that’s absurd. Against the Saints, he’s got to be a top 20 option this week.

Vernon Davis: The Niners won’t be able to run, and they’ll have to pass to keep in this game – Davis is their best option. I’m not crazy about this pick, but he’s an option.

Mercedes Lewis: The only pass catching tight end option in Jacksonville, and he has an accurate and safe passer throwing the ball. That’s a good combination for a tight end that is probably on your waiver wire. Add that to his size and hands – you have to like this play.

Buccaneers: The Texans can put up points, but the Bucs have been good at shutting squads down all year long. I like Tampa’s chances against a Sage Rosenfell and Ron Dayne led offense. (I guess Andrew Johnson is the real leader, but he’s a WR, they don’t count)

LUCKY’S Week 14 Splinter-Butts (bench him, son)

Eli Manning: Because he’s brutal.

Joseph Addai: The Ravens should stop him just like they’ve stopped every other running back. I sure like Addai though, and I know I can’t sit him – it’s just that I don’t think he’ll be good this week.

Justin Fargas: This young back has been dynamite since getting the starting gig, but I don’t see the Packers letting him run around much on Sunday.

Javon Walker: I like the Chiefs’ defense, and Walker has been slow to return from injuries. He’s still a week or two off, and the Broncos are still trying to figure their lives out.

Last week’s dedication to Winnie Cooper and the luck she gave, only propelled me to 3-5 with my free picks, and 5-3 in my elite selections – but I did pull off enough wins to keep me even, and hopefully this week she can shed a little light on the luck of Week 14 and take me to the promise land. Here are my free picks for Week 14 – only 4 more weeks to go!

Thursday’s Game…

Both these teams have been less than impressive as of late, but I have to take the Bears, if only because the Redskins have been through too much over the last week or so, and that wears on a team more so in the 2nd game than the first. The Redskins are tough, and I imagine they’ll be back to football this week, but the Bears aren’t the pushover they were early in the season, and Rex Grossman is actually playing solid at the QB post. Clinton Portis might be limited in this game, and while the Bears defense has been a shell of their former selves, they seem to be getting back to basics and attacking the line of scrimmage. I also like the dynamic that Adrian Peterson brings to the Bears’ offense. He catches the ball very well, which opens up a lot of plays that weren’t there with Benson in the game. It forces opposing defenses to account for Peterson’s receiving ability, and that’s always a good thing.

Sunday’s Games…

No running game in Detroit = big loss to the visiting Cowboys. Dallas shuts down the rush enough as it is, but without any hint of a decent rushing attack, the Lions, and more reasonably Jon Kitna, will be bait in the water for Wade Phillips’ shark attack defense. I would expect sacks and turnovers galore for Dallas’s D – and any extra chances will surely amount to points for Tony Romo and the Cowboys’ passing game, because the Lions secondary is one of the weakest in the League. Detroit’s rush defense was exposed last week as well, and Roy Williams will be out for this game, and most likely the rest of the season. How the sky has fallen for Jon Kitna-Little and his big expectations for the Lions. To salvage their season, they’ll need a huge upset over the best team in the NFC.

My brain had me believing that this was the one for Miami – and then I realized, they aren’t going to win a single football game. They don’t have the maturity, and now injuries are really starting to grab this team by the jugular. The only thing they have on their opponents, is if they continue to lose, they could be considered the worst team of all time. Nobody with a set wants to have that title, and I’m sure the Dolphins will come out gung ho about getting off the snide. The only thing is, Trent Edwards is an accurate smart passer, and I don’t think he’ll make enough mistakes for the Dolphins to find a way to win. Also, Miami can’t stop the run, and the Bills have a pretty solid rushing attack. I’m not a huge fan of either side on this game, as I think the value is minimal. But in a crunch, I’d take the Bills – they are better, and Buffalo is always a tough place to play, you know, because it’s painfully cold and pretty much brutal all around.

I like the Eagles to rebound this week against the Giants. They lost to the Hawks last week, but that was mainly due to 4 interceptions by the interception king, A.J. Feeley. Yes, the guy everyone was crowning last week after the Patriot game has 7 picks in 2 games – in a 16 game season, he’s on pace to throw just around, I don’t know, 56 interceptions (in my head quick math, not caring enough to double check). McNabb is apparently in for this week, and while we shouldn’t forget what happened to McNabb last time these two teams met, I’m guessing the Eagles will play better and actually consider blocking for their quarterback this time around. The bottom line is, I don’t think the Giants are good, at all, and while they’ve used a little luck to sneak by more than their fair share of teams this year, it will come a crashing halt sometime soon, and I think it all starts in Philly. Westbrook is magic – don’t forget that one truth.
Cleveland Browns @ New York Jets (+3.5):
(Line: Monday, 1:40am EST: TheGreek)

I know the Jets have killed me a few times this season, but the Browns seem to play to the level of their opponents, and the Jets can trick you good. See, they have a terrible record, and have played abysmal football in week’s past, but they also have a maturing offensive line, and a coach that is starting to understand the importance of a rushing attack. The Browns have a terrible defense (just about as bad as the Jets – except New York has done a little to impress me over the last few weeks) and their offense won’t be able to cover road games in which they are favored by more than a field goal. Look for the Jets to get yet another win, and bring the Browns back down to earth a little bit.Arizona Cardinals (+8) @ Seattle Seahawks:
(Line: Wednesday, 11:40am EST: 5Dimes)

I don’t do well with Seahawk games, so take this one, as always, at your own leisure. Shaunna Alexander actually ran hard in the second half of last week’s game against the Eagles, but I’m not sure if that was just a one time thing for the former touchdown machine. I’m guessing it is, and that he’ll be back to folding like a lawn chair as soon as he sees contact this week in front of the home town fans. The Cardinals may be hurting at receiver a little bit, but they are deep at the position, and I don’t think Boldin’s absence will be that much of a kick in the butt. Getting 8 points from 5Dimes on Wednesday, I had to move to the direction of the Cardinals. If Ken Whisenhunt has shown me one thing, it’s that, the more he gets to know a team, the better he prepares his team to beat that squad. Well, this is the second meeting with the Hawks, and while it’s tough to beat a good team twice in a season, I don’t think it will be hard to keep the game close. Take all those points and the Cardinals.

Monday Night Football Game

I don’t think Mark Redman will be the answer the Falcons have been searching for since Vick went wacko and did the deeds that got him where he is today. Bobby Patrino continues to give the ball to Warrick Dunn, despite horrid numbers, even though the ever explosive Jerious Norwood wears Falcons’ garb to every Atlanta game. The only way I can make sense of it is, Atlanta knows they are an abysmal pile of oozy cow pie, and they don’t want Norwood to get hurt when he doesn’t need to. It’s either that or Patrino has been drinking heavily before games, and forgets that his best player isn’t on the field for 85% of their offensive snaps. Either way, this is an interesting mess the Falcons have gotten in, and I’m not so sure they’re going to get out of it any time soon. New Orleans isn’t good, but they aren’t too bad on the road in recent years, and Atlanta will be stoked to see stars like Bush, Brees, and Colston, so they aren’t going to be hostile, more thankful than anything else. This is a big Monday Night game for the wingless Falcons, but in the end, when all is said and done, at the end of the day, when the good has been sifted from the bad, it just won’t matter, even with a bunch of poorly used clichés.

LUCKY LESTER’S Free NCAA Football Picks

The Hokies were the better team for the second straight game, and this time they came out of the game with a big win. To think, if they didn’t crumble in the last 4 minutes last time they played BC, they would be playing for the National Championship. I hate the BCS, by the way.

While this game was closer than I thought, it was my biggest bet of the week, and I sure am glad it won big for me. I needed the Midshipmen to come out and run all over the Knights, but Army was up to the challenge. However, a couple tough calls and some “fortunate turnovers” (fortunate for me) helped me get a huge win, and a nice 4-1 mark on my last week of the regular season.

Well, my lone loss came in a game where I underestimated the Wolfpack’s talent. This was a killing, as the Bulldogs never stood a chance. They lacked the want to win all year long, losing too many close games, but in the end, they came out and put a hurting on the Bulldogs.

This Week’s Top Team: “I want 150! I want it, I want it. Like Jessica Simpson wants high def, I want this.” 157 my people, finally busted out the 150 mark… This is how I did it, with Mr. Brees leading the way.

QB: Drew Brees: My main fantasy point slanging man broke down some barriers this week against Dallas, as he outperformed the 2nd highest scoring QB by 15 points. How many did Drew accumulate? 45. Championship!

RB: Ladell Betts: Betts finished with 171 rushing yards, and couldn’t’ even touch the Top 10 this week. What a day for running backs. Betts took me home 18 fantasy points, which is close to what I expected from him. A score would have been nice, but honestly, picky freaking picky.

RB: LaDainian Tomlinson: “The Broncos struggle with All World guys, as it seems to crush their spirits. LT is a SpiritCrusher!” Actually, until the last moments of the game, LT was having a relatively normal RB outing. And then he scored two touchdowns in a couple minutes, giving him 28 fantasy points, and the season touchdown record with 3 more games to go.

WR: Terrell Owens: TO is struggling, but luckily, struggling for this extremely talented donkey comes in the form of 56 yards and a score, good enough for 11 fantasy points. Nice drop on that bomb though.

WR: Darrell Jackson: “But it you want flat out consistency in points from the receiver spot, there’s not a better cat in the league than Jackson.” Jack wasn’t the dominate force, but his 60 yards and a score gave him 12 points, which happens to be very consistent.

TE: Antonio Gates: “Best tight end in the league, bar none. Gotta take him here.” Somehow (7 catches, 104 yards, 2 scores… maybe?) Gates etched out the best week by a tight end. Weird. 22 points for the big fella.

K: Josh Brown: I’d curse the Hawks for not giving Josh a chance, but hell, my normal kicker put up -1, so 3 points here doesn’t look as bad all of a sudden.

D: Bengals: Not the 25+ points I was looking for, but Cincinnati haulted the Raiders (no problem) stacking up 18 fantasy points for good Ol’ Lucky.

LUCKY’S Week 14 SLEEPERS

Jake Delhomme and Tony Romo: Jake didn’t play, and Tony had a terrible day. Romo’s touchdown was a sure interception that slipped through the defender. As good as I was with my main picks, I was that bad with these two sleeper hopefuls. 11 for Tony, and DNP for Jake.

Alex Smith: Smith only had 10 fantasy points, and basically couldn’t get it done for his squad of marry men. His 48% completion rate and 2 interceptions were like daggers in the hearts of Niner fans. Mine too.

Steven Jackson: Steven Jackson won my fantasy playoff game for me, his 25 points on 81 rushing yards, and 58 receiving yards, plus a score in both category, pushed me over the top. Good man, that Stee-Jack.

Maurice Drew: “Mo is the most explosive player on the Jaguars’ squad. He has to get more touches in the biggest game of Jacksonville’s season. Touches are all this youngster needs to show people what he’s all about.” Okay, can I call these big days from backs or what? Mo only had 15 carries, but he took them for 166 yards and two touchdowns. He had 15 yards receiving on one catch, and he took a kickoff return 93 yards to the house. That was good for 35 fantasy points in my league that also awards 6 for a return score. Yeehaw!

Javon Walker: 5 points for J-Walk, besides my running backs and defensive sleepers, J Walk had a pretty nice game for this group.

Matt Jones: Nothing. As the Jaguar running game dominated, Matt had a couple nice blocks. No points for those, though.

Ben Watson: Benny caught on to my sleeper sickness, scoring 0 points for the Pats, who got blanked by the Dolphins 21-0.

Chicago Bears DST: 19 points, but as a defense, they weren’t Bear-like at all. Thanks to Devin Hester’s two return touchdowns, though, Chicago once again finished as a top 5 defense in Week 14.

LUCKY’S Week 14 Moss’S

Brad Johnson: Brad was lucky he got the call on a short goal-line touchdown run, because other than the 6 points he got for the rushing score in my league, his passing totals only gave him 5 fantasy points. 11 total for Brutal Brad.

It’s nice to win more games than you lose during a week, let me tell you what. It’s also nice to go 4-1 in your top 5 games of the week, your only loss coming in your 5th ranked game of those 5. Of course, like always, I’m looking for the double perfecto in Week 14. I have a few more gimmies, and some tough calls that will require a little help from my friends. This is how I’ll butter the rolls with 3 more weeks left before the playoffs.
Gimmie-GamesFalcons over the Bucs
Seahawks over the Cardinals
Saints over the Cowboys
Ravens over the Chiefs
Patriots over the Dolphins

Thursday:

Cleveland (+9) at Pittsburgh: Name the last time the Steelers dominated in back to back games? Can you say not one time this year? Not one time this year. Yeah, I said it. The last time these two went at it, 2 weeks ago in Cleveland, the Browns dominated throughout only to fall at the end and lose by 4. At most, that’s what happens this time. I’m looking for a Brown upset.

Sunday:

Atlanta (-2) at Tampa Bay: The Falcons should continue to roll, though this one will be a little closer than the Redskin game. Tampa Bay (though not this year) usually stymies Mr. Vick, but don’t expect Mike to fade away. After a few down weeks in a row, Mike got back on track in Week 13, and since he’s a streaky cat, I’m looking for another nice game in Tampa Bay.

Baltimore (+3) at Kansas City: The Chiefs failed me big time last week, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a chance. I just think the safest bet in this one happens to be the Ravens and 3 points. Kansas City, unlike Cincinnati, doesn’t excel under the pressure of not getting into the playoffs. And I wouldn’t like to match up with Baltimore after a Ravens loss. They just don’t strike me as the losing streak type. Look for an upset on the road here.

Buffalo at N.Y. Jets (-3.5): The Jets are best at home (3-3; but only losing to New England, Indianapolis, and Chicago – all close games) so expect them to play well in New York against the Buffs. The Bills have played tough lately, are 3-2 in their last 5, with their two losses coming by a total of 4 points (Chargers and Colts) but I have a feeling they’re primed for a tough game, and that should come this week against the Jets.

Indianapolis at Jacksonville (+2): I have to take the Jaguars here. I don’t think the Colts losing to teams like Tennessee is a good thing. The Colts will be alright come playoffs, but they’re in a tough spot, and playing against a team they often struggle with. Plus, Jacksonville is playing for more here, ala the Bengals last week. I’ve got to go with the Jags who have much more to lose at home.

Minnesota (+3) at Detroit: I’m not one for history, but the Vikings have won 9 straight times against the Lions, and haven’t lost since 2001 in Detroit. With Minnesota’s run game plugging away, and a new starting quarterback in the cards (I hope it’s Tevaras Jackson) the Vikings should be able to slang the Lions on the road.

New England (-3) at Miami: The Patriots should handle the Dolphins. Tom Brady hasn’t looked like the All Pro that he is of late, but against a Miami secondary, that in my opinion is overrated, he should be able to return to his championship form. Plus, Corey Dillon is just the type of back Miami’s small defense doesn’t like to see. If Maroney is healthy, the Pats will win this one easily.

New Orleans (+7.5) at Dallas: I just think the Saints are flat out better than the Cowboys. Dallas is riding high off of their 4th straight win, a 23-30 nailbiter against a struggling Giants squad. But they are ready to take a step backwards, I can feel it. Plus, New Orleans loves to play ball as the underdog, losing only once as a dog all season. When will the cappers come to love the Saints? Dallas is hot right now, so I’d stay away from betting on them.

N.Y. Giants at Carolina (-3): If the Panthers were playing any other team in football this week, I’d stay away from them. But the Giants are playing just as poorly, and are in more turmoil that even they are. Unless the Giants trade Eli for Peyton, I don’t see them winning on the road, anywhere. Carolina has to get it together sooner or later… don’t they?

Oakland at Cincinnati (-11): The Raiders suck, and although they have managed to stay in games, and cover here and there, I expect a huge Bengal drumming in Cinci. Cinci doing the drumming of course. Oakland just doesn’t have an ends to justify a means. Ah, they are terrible. Will Brady Quinn help them get back to the promise land? Not unless a new coaching staff is implemented. The Raiders need to trade down and build an offensive line. See what it has done for the Jets?

Philadelphia (+1.5) at Washington: The Eagles are still better than the Redskins. I like Jason Campbell, I really do, and he’ll be a fixture in the Skins backfield for years to come, but I still think Philadelphia has a shot at the playoffs, even without Donovan, and Brian Westbrook will lead them to yet another win this week in Washington.

Tennessee at Houston (even): Vince Young has been for real, and he is playing in Texas this weekend. But I still have to go with the Texans. Tennessee has been unreal lately, but a down week is coming. I don’t know why, but I just feel it on the horizon.

Green Bay at San Francisco (-4): The Packers hit that rough patch that I thought they’d be in all year. 4 point dogs to the 49ers might look good, but then again, nothing looks good the way Brett and the Packers have been playing the last few games. San Fran needs to get back on track, so expect them to win a relatively meaningless game for the Packers.

Seattle (-3) at Arizona: The Cardinals aren’t good, don’t be confused by last weeks win over the Rams. The Hawks aren’t nearly as bad as they looked in that 3 point win over Denver on Sunday Night. The more Matt Hasselbeck plays, the more comfortable he’ll be, which is good news for the Hawks and bad new for Arizona.

Denver at San Diego (-7): With Jay Cutler running things, the Broncos have a chance in this one. But LT, running against a Bronco team that struggles defending marquee players (Peyton – 345yds 3 TD, LJ – 157yds TD, and LT 105yds 4TD) only makes me have to go with the Chargers, especially in San Diego. And the last time the Broncos hosted San Diego, Shawn Merriman wasn’t even on the field. Welcome to Shawn’s world Jay.

Monday:

Chicago (-6) at St. Louis: I just don’t think the Rams can play with the Bears. Rex Grossman has to get back on track sooner or later, he’s too much of a gunslinger to miss too many more chances. Lately, there’s not a better team to play against when you’re struggling than the Rams. Chicago’s defense should win this game by 7 points all by themselves.

It started off rocky, but in the end, an even record found it’s way into the record books, heading into an exciting December in college football…

Army @ Navy (-19.5): LOSS!
The Rivalry game got me here, what can you do? I thought Navy had the beans to annihilate Army, but as it turned out, the game was close throughout.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+3) @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: WIN!
How about the Deacons? On their way to a BCS Bowl game, and all that money for their program. It’s wonderful to see, you know, relatively unknown programs taking it to the ACC. Fantastic, especially when it benefits me.

Connecticut Huskies (+27.5) @ Louisville Cardinals: LOSS!
The Huskies couldn’t hang with a very powerful Cardinal team. Louisville should win their next game as well, bringing a little more appreciation to the Big East.

Air Force Falcons (+17.5) @ TCU Horned Frogs: LOSS!
My Falcons played poorly in a big loss to the Horned Frogs. I thought this was going to be a big win for me, but in the end, the Horned Frogs slammed the door shut on a winning week in college for good ol’ Lucky.

Stanford Cardinal @ California Bears (-28.5): LOSS!
Stanford almost pulled a quick one on the Bears. In the “other” California game that was going down on Saturday, the Bears almost got caught watching USC get downed by UCLA, but they pulled out a close one late, making me a loser again.

Fresno State Bulldogs @ San Jose State Spartans (-3.5): WIN!
San Jose showed why they were a winning team this year, and making it to a nice little bowl game. Fresno lost again. I won a big one.

USC Trojans (-12.5) @ UCLA Bruins: LOSS!
My last loss of the day came when the Bruins ousted the Trojans, in turn making me smile from ear to ear. I thought the Trojans would win easily, but hoped above all else that they’d fail. A win win, I guess. Yeehaw! Dang it! Something in that order.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (+10) @ West Virginia Mountaineers: WIN!
Rutgers couldn’t’ quite pull out the big upset, as they fell to the Mountaineers by two points in the 3rd overtime of a game that made me late to dinner with the woman. She understood… Right. Anyway, the Knights kept hopes of a .500 Saturday alive by covering.

Nebraska Cornhuskers @ Oklahoma Sooners (-3.5): WIN!
The Sooners won, and just made me think what would have been had they not gotten hosed by Pac 10 officials in a lost that should have been a win against the Ducks. Would the computers have picked OK over Florida if each team had one loss? Who cares, both teams would lose to the Buckeyes.

Arkansas Razorbacks @ Florida Gators (-3): WIN!
Florida won to give me my .500 record I was searching for after losing 5 out of my first 7 Week 14 games. The Gators took advantage of the Razorbacks’ shotty quarterback play, and won their way all the way to the National Title game in Arizona.

Regardless of a “rematch” or a “non conference champ playing for a National Title” I’m interested to see which team the public, or the sports-writers, or the coaches, would vote as the 2nd best team in the country. A 3 point loss to Ohio State in Ohio. I don’t think Florida will make that good of a game out of it. I think Boise State should have gotten a chance. Ideally, Florida wins, barely, and Boise State dominates the Sooners. Then maybe, just maybe, Boise would be the champs. And what a champ they would be!

This Week’s Top Team: I want 150! I want it, I want it. Like Jessica Simpson wants high def, I want this. 1080-I! Beat that!

QB: Drew Brees: Even though Drew didn’t nessecarily tear it up last week against the Niners, I have a feeling he’s going to put up some staggering stats against he Cowboys. See, Dallas doesn’t let a running game go for long, so Brees and the Saints will enter the airways often in Big D.

RB: Ladell Betts: Betts is a downhill runner with a punishing style that makes poor tackling teams pay for their deficiencies. The Eagles have stuggled all year in the tackling category, so don’t expect anything less than a big day from Clinton’s backup.

RB: LaDainian Tomlinson: It hasn’t caught up with me yet, unless I didn’t play this guy and regretted it. I’m sure there will be one week, and as decent as Denver is, it could be them… But I doubt it. The Broncos struggle with All World guys, as it seems to crush their spirits. LT is a SpiritCrusher!

WR: Terrell Owens: I don’t think 2 has had one of his pantented “huge games” on national televison yet, so I’m taking him this week on Sunday Night Football, on NBC. New Orleans doesn’t have secondary suckers who can match Owens’ intensity and playmaking ability, so expect this crazy receiver to go off.

WR: Darrell Jackson: I haven’t had the gut to take D-Jack all season long, and in the times of Matt’s struggles, this pick might bite me in the butt. But it you want flat out consistency in points from the receiver spot, there’s not a better cat in the league than Jackson.

TE: Antonio Gates: Best tight end in the league, bar none. Gotta take him here.

K: Josh Brown: I’m going with the kicker with the biggest game winning nuts around. JB gets it done in the clutch, and that’s the kind of kicker I want anchoring my team every week.

D: Bengals: Talk about a high risk, high reward pick here. Cinci has had some terrible outings, but against the Raiders, this has got to be as big as a 25 point sure thing as there is.

LUCKY’S Week 14 SLEEPERS

Jake Delhomme and Tony Romo: Jake just has to play better eventually, since he’s gone from a top 5 start to a “good luck” sleeper candidate, you can see he’s had a rough season. Tony just has it. Everyone says it, but seriously, he has it. Watch him trade tit for tat with Drew Brees.

Alex Smith: When he’s not handing the ball off to Frank Gore and just watching him dominate the Packers defensive front, he’ll be finding a couple touchdown passes, and I want to be here to say I told you so.

Steven Jackson: He’s a sleeper because he’s heading up against Chicago’s defense, and that can be a killer. But Jackson has the power and speed to touch up the Bears for a century. Just wait and see.

Maurice Drew: Mo is the most explosive player on the Jaguars’ squad. He has to get more touches in the biggest game of Jacksonville’s season. Touches are all this youngster needs to show people what he’s all about.

Javon Walker: Nobody can run on the Chargers, especially a broken Bronco running game with a rookie QB. The Chargers will stack the line. Cutler has a lazer rocket arm, so expect him to hook up with J-Walk for a big score at least once.

Matt Jones: Finally healthy, Matt is about to have a Drew Bennett like close to the season. Remember that? In the last 6 games Drew moved into the top 4 receivers a couple years back? Okay, maybe not that good of a stretch, but Matt will have his day against the Colts miniature secondary.

Ben Watson: I like Big Ben in Miami. I have a sick feeling in my stomach that New England is about to show everyone how overrated this Miami run is. Ben will benefit from Tom’s lesson.

Chicago Bears DST: Because they’re the Bears, they deserve a spot in my article. Stellar defense, all year long.

LUCKY’S Week 14 Moss’S

Brad Johnson: Benched by halftime? Should have been benched by the 4th game.

Joseph Addai: I think the Colts will get back to throwing the rock, because that works well for them, and the Jags won’t let a running back knock them out of playoff contention.

Eddie Kennisson: EK-G wont’ do much against Baltimore. Because he’s Eddie, and they’re Baltimore.

Randy Moss: The Bengals. It’s a big time game, if Randy doesn’t make me look bad here, I don’t know what to say.

Some say it was Lucky… They’re right. It was Lucky who picked 16 games correctly. It was Lucky who followed up his 12-4 Week 12 with a 16-0 week 13. It was Lucky who went to the local “club” and celebrated with friends (Bubbles, Jazmine, Nikki, Tracy, and CJ). I was a football pick’em god last week. This week there shall only be more of the same. Perfection finds only a few, Jessica Beil, Jessica Alba, the 1972 Dolphins, and me. How will I follow my perfect week? you ask. I’m going for the gusto. follow along as I sing my song.Tampa Bay @ Carolina (-5.5) – The last four weeks the Bucs have played average teams and ended up 3-1. In those wins, they’ve just barely won, taking three games by a combined 11 points. This week the Carolina Panthers invite the Buccaneers to town, and they aren’t as friendly as the Redskins, Saints, and Falcons. Carolina’s defense is something Chris Simms won’t get used to. He’ll get harassed often, finishing the game with multiple turnovers. Deshaun Foster is the all around running back Carolina needed to become on of the NFC’s best teams, he’ll be the deciding force in a Panther win on Sunday.
Game Date: 12/11/05 13:00 ET

New England (-4) @ Buffalo – The Buffalo Bills showed me they can’t win football games when they lost to the Dolphins last week. They’ll still be sick from the last second loss that removed them from any hopes of playoff contention. JP Losman won’t find all the open spaces in the New England secondary, he just doesn’t have it yet. If Eric Moulds is indeed suspended, as reports have published, Belichick will find it easy to key in on Lee Evans. Look for the Patriots to blitz Losman early and often on their way to a Sunday victory.
Game Date: 12/11/05 13:00 ET

St. Louis @ Minnesota (-7) – The Vi-Kings are inching closer and closer to a spot in the playoffs. Are you kidding me? If you would have told me that 6 weeks ago, I would have pooped in your soup. Now, I’m on the train, or ship if you will. Reports out of Minnesota are that ex-panther bathroom loving cheerleaders are welcome to find business in Minnesota. The weather isn’t as nice, but boats are better than bathroom stalls in bars. Koren Robinson showed last week that he can be a number one receiver. Now if he can just “Say nope to dope” everything would be grand. Look for Brad Johnson to take full advantage of a spotty Ram secondary. The Viking defense will play well again. Game Date: 12/11/05 13:00 ET

Chicago (+6) @ Pittsburgh – I’m not sure who will win this big game, but I’d bet it’s not by more than 3 points. The Bears have one of the greatest defense the league has seen in some time. That is the great spread equalizer. Six points is hard to come-by when finding enough yardage to get into field goal range is like pulling impacted wisdom teeth (which sucks). Kyle Orton isn’t allowed to make many mistakes, which means the tough Steeler defense will get a healthy dose of Thomas Jones and company. Don’t count out Big Ben though, even with the injury, he’s in his third game back, expect him to play mistake free. Take the points! Game Date: 12/11/05 13:00 ET

Oakland (-3) @ NY Jets – The Raiders are horrendous. Kerry Collins sucks, and anyone who thinks it’s all Norv Turner’s fault is probably as drunk as Kerry looks on a daily basis. Does anyone else in football look like they’ve battled the booze more than Kerry? Randy Moss looks as sedated running routes as he does after an off-season run in with the Magic Dragon, and Lamont Jordan doesn’t get the opportunity to get out of the backfield. And that’s only the offense. Yikes. Luckily for the Raiders and their fans, they play the Jets this weekend. The T-e-r-r-i-b-l-e Jets. New York doesn’t have a quarterback that is ready to play on Sunday, and the rest of their team isn’t good enough to make up for that fact. This isn’t a game I’d like to see, but I’m as sure as shit the Jets will lose their 8th consecutive game.
Game Date: 12/11/05 13:00 ET

Indianapolis (-8) @ Jacksonville – The Colts are lucky they don’t have to go into Jacksonville and face the Jaguars with Byron Leftwich at the helm. This is a huge game for David Garrard, but I’m not sure he can handle all the pressure. The Colts don’t overlook teams, that’s why they’re so great. Jacksonville usually plays the Colts tough, and I think they’ll do exactly that, but to expect the Jags to get within 10 points of the best team in football without their starting quarterback is too much. The Jaguars will play a tight first half, but in the end, a 2 touchdown victory taking the Colts to 13-0 is fully expected. Next weeks game against the Chargers will be the Colts’ first loss of the season. Game Date: 12/11/05 13:00 ET

Houston @ Tennessee (-6.5) – The Texans aren’t as terrible as 1-11, they’re more like a 3-8 team with enough luck to lose their way into the #1 draft spot. Lucky! Either way, 1 win, 3 wins, they still suck. The Titans play well against the garbage of the league, and they’ll do it again on Sunday. Steve McNair practiced on Wednesday, and he’ll most likely start on Sunday. Chris Brown should be around 100% and Drew Bennett is dying for a breakout game. Look for Houston to continue down the Reggie Bush path.
Game Date: 12/11/05 13:00 ET

Cleveland @ Cincinnati (-12) -When the Browns play an opponent with a winning record they are 1-3. IN those 3 losses they’ve never lost by less than 12 points. In Week 1 the Bengals took the Browns apart in Cleveland, 27-13. Expect a bigger lashing this week in Cinci. Carson Palmer has been as accurate as ever, and the players around him seem to thrive with him on the field. Chad Johnson hasn’t blown up in any of the past few games, so expect him to pick on Cleveland on Sunday. Charlie Frye will start his second professional game, but don’t expect him to go another game without a turnover. The Bengals have a knack for forcing turnovers, leading the league in takeaway / giveaway ratio. Take the Bengals in an easy one.
Game Date: 12/11/05 13:00 ET

Washington (-3.5) @ Cardinals – The Redskins aren’t a dominant football team, but they’re much better than the Cardinals. Washington’s defense has struggled of late, but expect them to blitz Kurt Warner until he cries mercy. The Cards don’t have the offensive line to stop the Skins’ blitzing linebackers. Kurt Warner will have another week where his picks outnumber his touchdowns, and Clinton Portis will have his second strong week in a row. Chris Cooley and Santana Moss will have big games with Mark Brunell finding plenty of time to let it fly. Game Date: 12/11/05 16:05 ET

NY Giants (-8.5) @ Philadelphia – If the Eagles didn’t show the world how bad it’s gotten in Philly, they’ll be issuing a repeat performance on Sunday against the Giants. With Brian Westbrook down and out, the Eagles have seemingly lost all hope, if any was left after Donovan’s injury. Andy Reid is inline to pick up a game changing receiver in the draft. These loses might be more of a blessing than the Eagles originally expected. The Giants aren’t quite as good as the Seahawks, but Eli Manning should do enough to finish off the Eagles by the end of the 3rd quarter. Look for the Eagles to continue their downward tumble. Game Date: 12/11/05 16:05 ET

San Francisco @ Seattle (-16) – Seattle doesn’t have time to waste too much energy on the 49ers. Instead of allowing the inferior Niners to hang around all game long like they did a few weeks ago, they’ll come out with a mission to have the starters out at half-time. Look for Shaun Alexander to get his two touchdowns, and Matt Hasselbeck will try to get back on line with returning star wide receiver Darrell Jackson. The Seattle Defense will forcefully slam Alex Smith into multiple turnovers like they did to Mike McMahon last week in Philadelphia. Game Date: 12/11/05 16:05 ET

Miami @ San Diego (-13) – The Dolphins did two things last week. They showed me how absolutely terrible they can be and they showed their resilience. Don’t be confused, they never once showed that they were good. The Chargers are quite possibly the second best team in football. They won’t allow the Dolphins to play with them, just because their resilient. Ladainian Tomlinson was held without a touchdown last week against Oakland. That won’t happen again. With Zach Thomas out of the lineup, LT will take full advantage of Miami’s youth in their linebacking corps. This is San Diego’s easiest game left on the schedule. It’s a must win. Game Date: 12/11/05 16:15 ET

Baltimore @ Denver (-14) – The Ravens are a bad team. Kyle Boller hasn’t grown into an NFL quarterback. The Raven linemen and running backs seem to be digressing. And probably most surprisingly, Baltimore’s defense has been anything but great this year. I don’t hide the fact that Denver isn’t one of my favorite teams, but they’re at least two touchdowns better than the Ravens, especially in Mile High. Jake Plummer made snakelike mistakes last week, and it cost Denver the game. He won’t make the same mistakes this week. Handoffs will be a larger part of the Bronco offensive game plan. Look for Tatum Bell to breakout with his first big game in the last few weeks.
Game Date: 12/11/05 16:15 ET

Kansas City (+3) @ Dallas – The Chiefs are the better team here. I said it. Dallas hasn’t played well in must-win games, (see last weeks debacle). This is a must-win for both teams, but especially the Chiefs. If Dallas loses, they fall to 7-6 with 3 very winnable games to go, Washington, Carolina (whom might have their spot wrapped up by then), and St. Louis. If the Chiefs lose, the consequences could be much worse. Kansas City finishes the season against New York, San Diego, and Cincinnati. Ouch. And in the AFC 10 wins might not get you into the post-season. Take the better team with more to lose to upset the Cowgirls in Dallas. Game Date: 12/11/05 16:15 ET

Detroit @ Green Bay (-6) – The Lions are tumbling into the Jets’ realm of extinction. Stay tuned to Sunday Night Football if you want to watch the trend continue with a loss to the pathetic Packers. Brett Favre has played sub-Brett, he lost his top receiver to start the season, he’s handing the ball off to his 3rd sting running back, and his offensive line is sieved-like at best. The Packer defense has been surprisingly stingy, but they can’t do it alone. You’d think all of this would add up to a loss. The you realize they’re playing the Lions. I know they’re led by none other than Jeff Garcia, and they have loads of talent on both sides of the ball, but they are horrendous. Everything’s bad about Detroit these days. Watch Brett bounce back from a couple bad weeks in a row, to have one of his best of the season. Don’t expect jack from the Lions.
Game Date: 12/11/05 20:35 ET

New Orleans @ Atlanta (-10) – This is a real powerful Monday Night showdown. New Orleans hasn’t won since Clinton was in office, and Atlanta is methodically dropping out of the playoff picture as they find themselves last in their division, having lost 3 of their last 4, including a tumble to Green Bay in Atlanta. Fortunately the Falcons play the Saints. Mike Vick always plays well against his cousin’s team, and Aaron Brooks hasn’t played well all year. This doesn’t bode well for New Orleans, and it really doesn’t bode well for those of you hoping for a decent Monday Night game. Look for New Orleans to die while Atlanta breaks out the defibrillator pads in attempt to jump start their season. Gubernational! Game Date: 12/12/04 21:10 ET
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Good Luck with your NFL Football Betting!
Lucky Lester – Free Football Picks

In the Shadow of Perfection
My third winning week in as many tries wasn’t as flashy as the last two, but I’ll take 5-4 in an off week. Central Florida wen’t down, and Virginia Tech and LSU found themselves at the short end of the BCS whooping stick after losses to FSU and Gerogia. Texas and USC prevailed in a huge way on way to one of the greatest championship games of all time, Rose Bowl. Georgia and West Virginia won their way to a Sugar Bowl Match-up, as Notre Dame and Ohio State sat anxiously watching if they’d both get in, they did, they’ll play eachother in the Fiesta Bowl. FSU snuck in to the BCS by taking Virginia Tech out of the whole picture. They’ll play Penn state in the Orange Bowl. As for week 14 of the regular season. I was 5-4, this is how I did it. (5-4 isn’t bad, but if you want to see something spectacular, check out my NFL week 13 Review.)
LOSERS

Florida State Seminoles @ Virginia Tech (-14) – The Hokies let FSU steal their rightful spot in a BCS Bowl game. Tech knows they should be playing Penn State in the Orange Bowl. FSU knows it. Fortunately the BCS and the ACC made a deal, the ACC champ gets an automatic bid. FSU crumbled Tech’s hopes of a single loss season while simultaniously removing the Hokies from a big bowl pay day. That sneaky Bobby Bowden.

Louisville Cardinals (-15) @ Connecticut Huskies – (Louisville 30 – Connecticut 20)The Huskies managed 6 4th quarter points while the Cardinals sat on the pg skin, attempting to speed up a victory that was already theirs. Schucks Auto Supply. Those Cards have suckered me over and over this year.

Colorado Buffaloes (+28) @ Texas Longhorns – (Colorado 3 – Texas 70) I was wrong. The Texas Longhorns came out to prove a point. And they did exactly that. This Rose Bowl will be one of the greatest match-ups of all time. Neither team played a trying schedule, though both squads won their way into a perfect regular season. The Buffs were no challege for the Longhorns, and Texas didn’t seem to be looking ahead, they didn’t need to, they already knew where they were going with a victory.

LSU @ Georgia (+1.5) – (LSU 14 – Georgia 34) In a game that was more of a blowout than a thriller, the Bulldogs still found themselves on top when the 4th quarter was over. DJ Shockely carried his Bulldogs, but the Gerogia defense was a force as well. A BCS Bowl for the Bulldogs is a nice reward for giving the LSU Tigers their second loss of the season.

UCLA Bruins @ USC Trojans (-20) – (UCLA 19 – USC 66) “Something tells me that UCLA starting linebackers wonÕt be telling everyone that Maurice Drew is a better running back than Reggie Bush after the game on Saturday. Do you really need to?” (Me) Wasn’t this destined to happen? Bush had over 200 yards in the first half. He’s amazing. The Trojans walked to an undefeated regular season.

West Virginia (-10) @ South Florida – (WVU 28 – SF 13) West Virignia won easily on Saturday, assuring the Moutaineers’ spot in the Sugar Bowl. The WVU defense allowed only one touchdown, and it came in a meaningless 4th quarter.

San Diego State Aztecs @ Hawaii Warriors (-3) – Hawaii took down the Aztecs in a shootout where the teams combined to score 87 points. As it seems, you don’t go into a shootout against the Warriors in Hawaii. The Warriors took their last game by 11, bringing me to 4-4 on the day.

Navy Midshipmen (-6) @ Army Cadets – “I usually always take the underdogs in these rivalry battles, but the Midshipmen are that much better than Army. Close losses to Stanford, Maryland, Rutgers, and Notre Dame have taken the Midshipmen to 6-4, but theyÕre a much better team because of their tough schedule. Navy should blow the Cadets out of the water in this military mismatch.” (Me) I was right on the Ca-Dot with this one, Navy was clearly the stronger team in this years rivalry, and it showed.